“We need you!” top NZ firm tells UK building pros amid Brexit fears

As Brexit fears roll across the UK, New Zealand’s biggest builder, Fletcher Construction, is calling out for senior British construction leaders to help it deliver the largest infrastructure programme in the nation’s history.

Claiming to have 30 years worth of work in its pipeline, the firm says it needs British engineers, project managers, surveyors, designers and builders, and is hosting an event in central London on 28 July to kick-start its recruitment drive.

“The schools and universities are world class, you can walk to a beach from just about anywhere”– Graham Darlow, Fletcher Construction

The move comes as the British pound hit a fresh 31-year low against the dollar today as worries over the UK’s exit from the European Union rattled financial markets.

The 107-year-old company says that while the Christchurch post-earthquake rebuild is well underway, the city of Auckland is making up for “a massive infrastructure deficit” and the firm has 30 years worth of large-scale projects in the offing.

“I have never seen so much construction activity of such a scale right across New Zealand in my 40 years working in the industry,” Darlow said in a statement emailed to GCR today.

In Auckland alone, Fletcher Construction is working on several major highway projects, an international convention centre and several large five star hotels.

Upcoming are a number of large infrastructure projects, including Auckland’s city rail link, which, combined with other projects would constitute a 30-year pipeline of construction.

“We already employ many of New Zealand’s top construction talent but we need more,” said Darlow. “We might not be able to beat the salaries on offer in Dubai and elsewhere. But where we can compete is the lifestyle and quality of life available here in New Zealand.”

He added: “This is the best place in the world to raise a family. The schools and universities are world class, you can walk to a beach from just about anywhere. If outdoor pursuits – from skiing to mountain climbing to tramping – are your thing, then New Zealand will be your paradise.”

Registration for the Fletcher Construction recruitment event can be found here.

Image: Auckland, where Fletcher Construction has 30 years worth of large-scale projects in the offing (www.taprobanenz.com)

Comments

So many Island nations stand united within their specific isolation and maximise the use of all they have! New Zealand is such a nation! I wish them every success they so richly deserve!